Daniel Brown loves football but with as little success as he had had coming into the 2013 season, it looked like the feeling wasn’t mutual. Brown, a junior outside linebacker for Southern University, went through high school and his first two seasons of college without enjoying a winning season.

“The first time I met him, he told me, ‘Coach, I’ve never been on a winning team,’ ’’ said Brown’s position coach Lorick Atkinson, who joined the Jaguars staff last January.

Brown can now cross that off his list of accomplishments.

Southern’s 53-0 victory against Clark Atlanta on Nov. 16 guaranteed the program its first winning season since 2009 and made Brown part of a winning squad for the first time ever.

“It’s very special to be a part of something like this,’’ Brown said of the 2013 season.

It’s been a tough path for Brown, from the Lower Ninth Ward and Clark High. He drew few looks from collegiate recruiters because he played for Clark, where it was a struggle just to get players out to practice sometimes.

He signed on to a Southern program that suffered through two losing seasons his first two years. But he said he never lost his passion for playing.

“He loves to play the game, one of those old-school kids who just loves being out there,’’ Atkinson said. “He practices when he’s hurt. He’s a football player at heart. He’s a special kid.’’

In the midst of a special season.

The Jaguars (7-4) come into Saturday’s Bayou Classic against rival Grambling as champions. Southern has already clinched the SWAC West title and will meet Jackson State for the SWAC Championship on Dec. 7 in Houston.

Brown, 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, has been a key component in the Jaguars’ turnaround. He leads the defense in tackles from his strongside linebacker spot with 77, including 35 solo stops. He’s the chief pass rusher with a team-leading five sacks. He also has a team-best 12.5 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries.

He turned heads in the Jaguars' first game of the season, a 62-13 loss to the University of Houston. Though the Jaguars were out-manned in the game, Brown was the exception. He had 12 tackles and commanded a lot of attention from the Cougars as the game progressed.

“He comes off the edge so hard,’’ Atkinson said.

Brown's 2013 statistics are a considerable improvement from last season when he had only 28 tackles and a half-sack.

Atkinson said when he arrived in January he noticed that Brown had talent and drive. But there was work to be done, too, not only with him but the entire linebacking corps.

“Taking care of the little things is what he has improved on so much,’’ Atkinson said. “He can get distracted very easily. We had several (linebackers) like that. Getting into mouthing with the other team. He had a temper. He’s learned to focus that temper into play instead of focusing it in a negative way. He’s grown up a bunch. He’s gotten a lot better with his self-discipline on the field.’’

He’s also become a team leader, Southern coach Dawson Odums said. With his background primarily on defense, Odums spends a lot of time on that side of the ball.

Throughout the season, Odums has touted Brown as an example of a player doing all the necessary things to improve himself and the team.

He singled out Brown one week when injuries decimated the defensive front and Brown had to move to tackle for a game.

“Never complained, just went at it and did a great job,’’ Odums said. “Then the next Monday practice, he comes up to me and says, ‘Coach, where do you need me this week?’ You enjoy coaching guys like Daniel Brown.’’

Brown, a biology major, said he doesn’t mind playing anywhere as long as he’s on the field. His high school coach, Byron Addison, said that started when Brown was at Clark. For his first two seasons Brown, a 2011 graduate of Clark, played on the offensive line.

Addison said he wanted to keep him at guard but low numbers on the squad forced him to play Brown both ways and he moved to middle linebacker on defense.

“He shocked everybody with his play,’’ said Addison, now the head coach at Carver.

Brown credits that move and Addison for developing him into a linebacker.

“He taught me how to read schemes, set the defense,’’ Brown said. “We ran a 4-3 in high school but he taught me other defenses. I learned the lingo with him.’’

Addison pushed Brown to several colleges but there were few takers. Southern, however, decided to give him a chance.

“I kept telling Daniel just stay focused,’’ Addison said. “We’re going to find somewhere for you. I have teams that call me now and say, ‘Man, we should have pulled the trigger on him.’ ‘’

Southern University linebacker Daniel Brown (98), a junior from Clark High, leads the Jaguars in tackles and sacks this season.From Southern University

Brown said he understood why bigger schools showed little interest in him. Clark isn’t exactly a football power steeped in tradition. He was disappointed but not to the point of wanting to give up.

“It was frustrating,’’ Brown said. “Everyone thinks when you go to a better school that you get better things. Better people look at you. But it’s all about what you do with your situation. I was blessed with this situation and I’m making the best of it.’’

He’ll be back in his hometown this week when the Jaguars meet Grambling in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. His family will be watching, as will Addison.

Then it’s on to Houston for the championship game.

Brown said a lot of the credit for Southern’s turnaround this year goes to Odums, who took over as coach in September of 2012. He said he loves how Odums always preaches for the team to stay positive.

“You have to buy into it,’’ Brown said. “Sometimes it’s tough being positive. Just trying to keep the positivity when you keep getting knocked down. And we kept getting knocked down. But that’s life, though. You keep fighting through it, keep working hard and it’s going to pay off.’’